Monday, May 10, 2004

So, Senator John Warner believes
that Rumsfeld should stay, because we're "fighting two wars" right
now, and that's an awkward time for a transition in leadership.

Indeed. That might result in haphazard decision making, based on a
poor grasp of the facts on the ground or none at all, tactics which
are insensitive to the sore points of the local populace, inflaming
the situation, and inconstancy in overall strategy, alienating
important potential allies within and outside Iraq. Better by far to
stick with what we have right now.

Besides, as Matthew Yglesias points
out, for a real clean sweep you'd have to ditch not just Rumsfeld,
but his whole team, leaving a lot of unhappy former officials around
to dish dirt. So even if Dubya were convinced, somehow, that this was
the right thing for the country, he'd have to put that above his own
electoral prospects. It'll never happen...